Interrogation
by Eternity Wing
Summary: He can t rmember who he is. He has been kidnapped by the Mossad. She knows everything about him. Now she must realise where her loyalties lie. One false move spells death for both of them.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the right to any of the characters in NCIS.

* * *

**Interrogation.**

The room was dark. He could see nothing but a bleak blackness which taunted and consumed him. His head throbbed like it was burning. Silence drowned out every other sound. His limbs were numb. The ground was hard. Perhaps it was a concrete or some kind of stone floor. Where was he? What had happened? Who was he? He remembered nothing.

A small slither of light suddenly crawled across him. He gazed at its source. There was a slit in the roof. He painstakingly and slowly stood up. He felt a small breeze on his face. Outside there was greenery: a few trees-tall and slender- and before them a small path of shimmering emeralds. He tried to call out; his voice refused to utter a sound. He felt so helpless. He was imprisoned in some stone cell with no clue as to why he had ended up here.

Suddenly He remembered he was curling up on a warm soft beanbag. There was a movie playing. A western was it? Cowboys galloping over the rugged rocky landscape. What happened next? He was beating himself up inside. He needed to remember. Something was very wrong and he had no clue what.

"Tony," a hiss flew through the air.

He ignored it. Who was Tony?

"I know you are mad at me Tony, but you need to listen to me. You are in danger," the hiss repeated.

The voice emitting the hiss was a foreign feminine voice. They were most likely from the Middle East. Who were they? A name appeared in his head; Ziva. It was so melodious-Ziva, Ziva, Ziva. He was falling in love with this name. Ziva was beautiful.

"Are you Ziva?"he asked.

"Ohh. Cut it out Tony! You know I am Ziva. Stop playing your silly game!" Ziva whispered in frustration.

"Who am I?"he asked.

"You don`t remember," she whispered in disbelief."Do you remember, Tony?"

"No,"he whispered.

A small light appeared from behind him. There was a face behind the light. She was beautiful. Her skin was the colour of autumn. Her hair was long, dark and as wavy as the moon coloured seas. Her hazel eyes were witty like owls and her mouth was scrunched in a gesture of complication. She had the complexion of an angel. He gazed at her in awe.

"Tony you have been kidnapped by the Mossad, try to act mad. It could save your life."Ziva advised carefully.

Five footsteps echoed across the room. Ziva was startled. Then she scurried of as quietly as a tiny mouse.

The slit of light became a doorway to the heavens. A man stood there his body masked by black robes. He grabbed Tony in a grip of steel. Another man viciously shoved a cloth in his mouth. Then a heavy blindfold invaded his sight. Then darkness reigned. He half stumbled and was half dragged across a long distance of grass. He heard nothing. A silence was controlling him. The grip on his arm was so tight he could no longer feel it. He was lost in his mind. He couldn`t remember who he was, who Ziva was or why these men were dragging him along. He wanted to fly out of this trap like a swallow. He wanted information to set him free.

After what seemed like an eternity of walking he was pushed down on to what felt like a metal chair. The men took the blindfold off and removed the cloth from his mouth. He gasped at the air. Then he looked up. Two hard eyes stared back at him. This man he recognised. This man had interrogated him before. He could not remember why or when. He only knew he was in danger. This man`s eyes were granite rocks coasted in ice. His skin was as rich as Ziva`s but his face was shorter. His mouth was as grim as a monster`s face. His hands were elegant yet sharp like the cat`s claws. He sat on the chair. His arms resting warily on the back. The chair was metal like the one he was tied to. This man sat on the chair backwards. Like you would in an interrogation he thought.

"Hello Tony," he said in an enriched deep voice.

He gazed at the room. It was small and dark. Only a dizzy beam of light shone on him and the man. The rest was darkness. He could see spatters of blood dancing across the walls. On the top of a box slept numerous shiny blood lusted utensils.

"I won`t have to use them if you tell me what I want to know, Tony," the man addressed.

He remembered what Ziva had told him; he needed to act mad.

"I am not Tony," he exclaimed in shock," I am Arthur the cow, King of Timbuktu."

The man looked surprised.

"You are Anthony DiNozzo. Stop this nonsense, I know you are bluffing," the man ordered.

"I am a duck. Moo! Moo!"he suddenly exclaimed.

He was just making anything up. He really had no clue what anything meant.

The man stared at him for a long time. Tony felt as if those eyes were examining him.

"Let me jog your memory," the man coolly suggested.

The man walked calmly towards him. Then the man viciously slapped his face. Tony winced in pain. The pain was a fire: it burned and consumed him.

"I am Eli David. We met awhile ago when you murdered Michael Rivikin. You refused to give me any answers then. You joked about the room being an interrogation room. I told you I would show you an interrogation room this is a Mossad interrogation room! I will not leave this room until you have given me the answers I want!" Eli roared.

He was called Tony. Rivikin had been in love with Ziva. He had gone to Ziva`s apartment after finding incriminating evidence about her in a case. He tried to arrest Rivikin. He resisted. They fought. Rivikin was holding a piece of glass then tried to stab him. He grabbed his gun and fired in defence. Rivikin fell to the ground. Why did he do all those things? Tony could not remember anything more than that.

"I was born in Hawaii. My parents were allergic to sunlight. They were top of the league skiers and they flew to the Caribbean every day to train. Michael Rivikin was my mother`s boss, when I was five I kicked him in the shins," Tony waffled.

Eli looked as if he was going to explode. His fist sent a blow of pain to his face. Blood trickled down on to his neck. He could barely talk; the pain was too great.

"Why did you murder Rivikin? You were jealous so you shot him." Eli accused rapidly.

"Are you my pet duck`s father?"He asked.

He hoped he was seeming mad enough. It was tiring him trying to think of mad sounding things. He wanted to give in and admit he could not remember anything. Yet something inside him told him if he did his captors would kill him. He had to stay strong. Maybe Ziva would help him? She wouldn`t. He killed Rivikin. Ziva loved Rivikin. Gibbs had wanted to kill Rivikin. He paused; who was Gibbs?

Eli put his hand round Tony`s neck and squeezed. Tony tried to move and fight back but his limbs refused to let him. He couldn`t breathe!

"Why did you kill Rivikin?"Eli slowly but dangerously asked.

"Duck!"Tony spat out.

His neck was throbbing. He felt as light as a feather.

"Don`t play games with me, DiNozzo!"Eli whispered in his ear.

He tightened his grip around Tony`s neck. Tony whimpered.

"I am the albatross," he exclaimed.

Eli let go of Tony. He fell to the ground while coughing violently. Eli David swung the door open.

He said to another man, "take him back to the cell and make him sane!"

Tony did not hear anything else. He had left consciousness. Through a small crack in the wall an eye sighed in relief. Tony had survived. She didn`t want him to die because of her carelessness. Now all she needed to do was to find a way to get him back to NCIS...


	2. Hammer and Nails

**Hammer and Nails**

He had been in the dark for hours. He only knew he was Tony and he had killed Rivikin. What had he done wrong? Who was Ziva? She was Ari`s half-sister, he remembered suddenly. Who was Ari? He hated this feeling of knowing but not knowing. He was being left in the dark by his own felt so helpless. Everyone knew everything about him except himself. Tony placed his head in his hands. He wiped the blood off. The Mossad were brutal at torture. He was sure a friend had told him that. His friend was Ziva. Ziva, came after Kate died. He paused; who was Kate? She seemed so special and important. Why couldn`t he remember?

Suddenly the door swung open. Someone placed a cup of water down on the floor then left. The door swung shut. Tony crawled over to the cup. He picked it up. It was small thin and smooth like wood. His hand was shaking. Tony sipped the water. It was so sweet. Life`s essence was pounding into him and saving him from the darkness. He drunk the rest of the water quickly. He felt stronger. A pang began to gnaw at his stomach. He was hungry. He hadn`t eaten anything. There was nothing to eat though. He sighed. Tony placed the cup on the floor and slumped against the wall.

"Tony," Ziva hissed.

"What?"he whispered back.

"Are you okay?"she asked.

"What does it look like?"he replied.

"Uhh. Listen keep acting mad. You haven`t done anything wrong and acting mad will buy us more time,"she advised.

"More time for what?"Tony asked.

"More time for me to work out a way to get you back to NCIS," she snapped in frustration.

Ziva looked like she was under tremendous amounts of pressure.

"NCIS is where you and Kate worked," Tony remarked.

"Tony I left NCIS and Kate died years ago," Ziva replied in suprise at his statement.

She looked at Tony. He could barely remember anything. Her father had beaten him up badly. Mountains of blood grew across his face. He was covered in dust. His blue shirt and smart ebony trews were ripped and as clean as a hippo in a mud bath. Tony`s hair was a field of dead grass drowning in a flood of blood. She felt sorry for him. Guilt gnawed at her. It was her fault that Tony had been kidnapped. If she hadn`t been so one-sided and had seen Michael was using her. Tony would be back at NCIS. She probably would have been there as well. She regretted leaving NCIS; she loved Mossad. Except now she had to decide. If she helped Tony escape she would have to leave Mossad but if she didn`t Tony would die. My life or Tony`s she asked herself. NCIS or Mossad. How could she choose? It was an impossible decision but she had to make it. It had to be made quickly or Tony would be killed. Yet even if she decided to help Tony how would she help him escape? Everywhere in the complex was heavily guarded. Even if she got them out the city was full of Mossad spies. Her father would find them in minutes.

The door creaked open. She fled. The last thing they needed was for her to get caught. She was the only one who could help Tony. She could not get caught.

Tony looked up. It was the men in black again. It was the same routine as before: he was gagged, blindfolded and bound. They dragged him out of his cell. He stumbled along. Then his feet touched hard stone. He slipped. They held him up tightly. Tony stumbled down what felt like stairs. He hated not being able to see. He wanted to know where he was going and what horrors were to befall him. Suddenly he was thrown in to a room. The door was swung shut with a clang.

Tony had never felt more cut off in his life. He didn`t dare to move; he had no clue what could be around him. For all he knew there were needles lining the ground. He patiently stood. Perhaps Ziva would come and rescue him. It seemed unlikely. After several minutes, his nerves were at breaking point. At every little tap he heard he panicked. The darkness was taunting him. It was playing with him. He was trapped by an ever-growing darkness which feasted on his thoughts. It became silent. He wished the silence would end. His foes-silence and darkness-attacked him.

"Hello Tony," Eli broke the silence.

Two hands ripped of the blindfold. He wildly looked at his surroundings. There was a dark ceiling with small amber light. The walls were dark. Everything was dark except the tools which glinted menacingly amongst the darkness. Eli grabbed Tony`s chest and threw him oh to a stone slab which lay in the corner of the room. The stone punched him. His head throbbed. He tried to call out; the gag would not allow him to. Eli quickly tied Toni's chest to the slab. Tony could hardly breathe; it was so tight. Eli undid the gag. Tony breathed deeply. He stared at his captor.

"You have a minute to answer the question Tony and then I begin. This time it will hurt!"Eli promised.

Tony panicked. He couldn`t remember the answer to the question. Then he remembered: he had killed Rivikin in self defence!

"Self-defence," he blurted out.

Then he kicked himself inside. He was supposed to have acted mad!

"I knew you were only pretending yesterday Tony," Eli remarked, "but that was not the correct answer. You murdered Rivikin. Admit it. Admit it!"

Tony stayed silent. Eli glared at him. Then picked up a nail and a hammer. They sniggered in delight. Eli viciously grabbed Tony`s hand and placed on a wooden plank which ran along the top of the stone slab. He banged the nail into Tony`s hand. Tony cried out in agony. He couldn`t move his hand! Blood seeped over his fingers painting them red. The pain was becoming unbearable. Maybe he should just give Eli the answer he wanted.

"Don`t give in DiNozzo!"he heard a voice yell.

It was Gibbs. His boss, Gibbs. Gibbs had said that to him when he was in prison after Chip framed him. He had to stay strong. Gibbs would never abandon him. Tony was filled with a new confidence. Adrenaline obliterated the pain.

"I already told you," Tony began confidently, "I killed Rivikin in self-defence."

Eli was enraged at this answer. He went berserk. He grabbed Tony`s other hand. The hammer shoved the nail through the flesh and deep into the wood. Tony whimpered. The blood spurted into the air. The pain was killing him.

"I am telling the truth," Tony yelled out.

The smell of blood invaded his nose. Eli refused to like his answer. Fists battered Tony`s face rapidly. The stone drowned in a tidal wave of red. Tony went numb with pain. At last Eli stopped. He stared at Tony in irritation. He smiled. He bound Tony`s feet to the slab then loosened the rope around Tony`s chest.

"We shall see how you are tomorrow, DiNozzo," Eli announced.

He pulled a lever. The stone slab turned upside down. Tony hung of it. His hands and feet were drenched in immediate pain. Eli left the room quickly. The pain enraged him. His weight put so much pressure on his limbs. Blood trickled across his body. The darkness consumed him and everything faded to nothingness.

Ziva stared at a long sheet of schematics. Squiggly lines danced into patterns and moved to a different space every time she looked at them. Planning an escape seemed so hard. She swore out loud. Even if she made it out of the Mossad building how would she get Tony to America? This time there was no Gibbs or Franks to help her. Franks! That was it! She remembered Franks and his son had used a private airline haulage company to smuggle Franks`s daughter in law out of Afghanistan. Could she pull of a trick of a similar kind?

Tony opened his eyes. He had suffered days in a surreal world of topsy-turvyness and pain. It was like nightmare; this was reality.

"Tell me what I want to know!"Eli David roared from above.

Tony couldn`t see; he had been blindfolded. He shook his head; he could not give up.

Ziva stared through a crack in the wall. She knew Tony would not last much longer. It was time for her to act. Her plan had to be made quickly.

Inside the room Tony groaned. Then an infestation of nausea set in...


	3. Cliffhanger

**Cliffhanger**

The room was dark. His body was a sagging mass of pain. The torture kept coming; it hadn`t stopped for days. Then it finally stopped and he was alone in the dark. Ziva hadn`t kept her promise. She had abandoned him. Gibbs couldn`t find him. It was all over; he knew he had only one option. Tony sighed; there was no escape from the fate which awaited him. Should he confess to something he didn`t do? Huh. It didn`t matter anyway; either way he was a dead man. Sooner or later they would kill him. Tony prayed it would be sooner. Sooner would end the agony that constantly engulfed him. The agony chased him wherever he went and never let him out of its icy grip. Sooner would end all of that and more.

Ziva slung her bag on to her bag quickly. Today was the day. She had to act and fast. Tony depended on her and he wouldn`t hold out much longer. If she didn`t save him today, she wouldn`t have another chance. Her father was on a trip to Washington for a meeting of agencies all over the world. When her father was away, no-one noticed Ziva. Her friends or colleagues were all off on missions. Ziva prayed they were safe. She would never see them again. She slowly opened the door and creped like a mouse down the hallway. The escape had begun!

Tony breathed slowly. The nails tightly pushed him against the slab. He couldn`t move and each breath was more agonising than a 1mile sprint at full speed. The darkness had begun to play games with him; torture him. It teased him at pinched him. Monsters would appear then vanish into the night. He was trapped in a bête noire; the most horrible one in his life. There was the pungent smell of his blood and the only sound to be heard was the sound of his blood dripping down on to the ground. Suddenly the nails were pulled from his hands and the ropes on his feet taken off. He fell to the floor with the thump an elephant makes when it leaps off a diving board. Two hands, as soft as velvet, picked him up carefully and placed him in a black bag. The fabric was familiar; it had the same rough feeling as the body bags. Tony panicked; he wasn`t dead yet! He heard a zip blocking him out from the rest of the world. Was he being taken to an autopsy where he would be cut up while still alive? Tony shivered at the thought. Yet perhaps it was the reality, the end that awaited him. A thousand and one deaths swirled through his head. Tony knew that this was the end.

Suddenly he heard Ziva.

"If you want to get out of here alive, Tony, for the love of anything keep quiet!"she hissed.

He tried to reply but all that came out of his mouth was a mumble.

He felt the bag being roughly picked up and pushed along in a rickety trolley. It went squeak squeak kakarangki crunch every time it hit a bump or a rough patch. After a long time, he finally felt the trolley being pushed into a van. There was a sharp slam of a door then the vehicle shot off. He was hurled around like a ragdoll. He cursed after remembering Ziva`s crazy driving. The car drove at a supersonic speed and it was as if a madman was at the steering wheel. He remembered, on Ziva`s first mission with NCIS she had almost killed them after speeding on the wrong side of the road. He thought she was a mad driver then, but he hadn`t been in the trunk in a body bag at the time. Every time the van turned a corner he slammed- like a car crashing- into a nearby wall. He heard the rapid vroom of the engine as it screamed across the country.

Ziva threw the steering wheel round like a dagger. The sand roughly battered the body of the truck. There was a loud crunch every time she drove over uneven ground. Ziva knew that the vehicle would survive; it had seen worse. The best way to avoid being attacked or roadside bombs was to drive fast and madly. She knew that this was the most dangerous stretch of the journey. One careless mistake here could cost Tony and her, their lives. Ziva was trained not to make careless mistakes. She only made them on a rare occasion. Careless mistakes got people killed. That is why she didn`t like it when she made one.

Suddenly the sun glared temporarily blinding her! The truck swung violently off the road. Tony cursed. His stomach lurched. He began to spin as if he was in a washing machine. He had no clue what was happening. Had Ziva crashed? He hated being in the dark and not knowing what was going on.

When the haze left Ziva`s eyes it was too late. She saw the hill-steep like skyscrapers- and she saw the river (menacing and bearing teeth at her). She thought of Tony left in complete unawares of their situation. They were about to die!

The vehicle rolled down the slope like an elephant and hurtled into the river. The glass flew around like splinters from as pirate battle. Ziva slumped down on to the steering wheel unconscious. Blood streamed down her forehead.

A sharp piece of metal hurled the body bag open flinging Tony into the back of the truck. The door had opened and water flooded in like ants. The thunderous roar from the water punched his ears. The hungry murky demon wanted to swallow them both. Tony cursed. They were going to drown!


	4. Riverdoom

**Riverdoom**

The water was flooding in like a hoard of buffalo. In seconds he would drown. What about Ziva? Where was she? What had happened to her?

"Ziva,"he yelled,"Ziva!"

An eerie silence followed. Tony knew something was very wrong; Ziva was in some sort of trouble. He had to save her. Tony mustered all his strength and grabbed hold of the steel roofing. He pulled himself up like Spiderman on to the van ceiling and swung like a chimp on to the roof. His body was filled with agony but he knew he must not give up. Ziva was relying on him. The van was sinking faster and faster. Tony cursed. They were in the middle of a river.

He crawled to the front of the van. The windscreen had been smashed to smithereens. Ziva lay slumped on the steering wheel. He prayed she had not died. He was tiring. His body wanted to sleep. He wanted to fade away into an everlasting darkness; he knew he couldn`t!

He crawled over to the front of the vehicle .Tony pumped his remaining strength to his leg. He then feebly kicked the battered windshield. Nothing happened. He tried again and again each attempt weaker than the previous. Everything he did was in vain. The water kept flooding in; it had already reached one last moment before it swallowed her up he saw Ziva`s face. He remembered the pain he had caused her by killing Rivikin. Why did he kill Rivikin? He couldn`t let Ziva die. He loved her!

Tony threw himself into the water. It battered, buffeted and bruised his body as if he was a ragdoll. Tony grabbed the van door and pulled it open. Ziva`s limp body fell lifelessly into his arms. Tony pulled her away from the vehicle and into the current of the river. A split second later the truck was swallowed and dragged down to the deep black abyss. They were hurtling away from the crash site. The river puling them along to wherever it chose to travel. Tony knew he had done all he could. Their lives were in the hand of the monstrous river.

Suddenly the river grew violent. The flow was even faster. He was hurtled from side to side like a small pebble. The waves flew over him and pushed him under. Yet no-matter how hard the river hit him he held on to Ziva tightly. He would never let go no matter what the river did. He had to protect Ziva. Suddenly the river pulled him under and the rocks pounded his head! Everything turned black as he faded into sub-consciousness. Ziva`s and his fingers slid loosely apart and the river separated them and sent them down different paths into the unknown.

* * *

Eli David was uneasy. Very uneasy. Vance had been asking him if he knew anything about agent DiNozzo`s disappearance. Of course, Eli knew everything he ha instrumented the entire operation; he was never going to tell NCIS. It had been his grand master plan for vengeance to be served. He wanted Tony to suffer after killing one of his best operatives. Yet it had all gone wrong. One chink in the chain had broken it. His daughter had been the chink; she had escaped with DiNozzo and was probably en-route to NCIS. He had been betrayed by his own children; Ari and Ziva both betrayed him. Ziva had killed Ari yet in a way had become him. She had lied to both Mossad and NCIS. She had broken all her allegiances and now worked for no-one but herself. Eli cursed. The operation had become a disaster.

"Anything wrong Director David?"Vance coyly asked.

A cocktail stick lurking in his mouth.

"A mission screw-up," Eli replied elusively giving nothing away.

"I would watch out if I were you," Vance advised."Gibbs is on the war-path and like my predecessors everything I do to stop him only makes the situation worse. With Tony missing and no leads the best course of action is to avoid him at all costs."

"Thank you. If my people find anything on you missing agent you will be the first to know."

"Thanks, in this mad world it is good to have allies we can trust."Vance added a tone of disbelief in his voice.

Eli David swiftly walked out of NCIS.

"Gibbs, you can come out now," Vance ordered."I smell a rat and something tells me Eli isn`t telling us everything."

* * *

Meanwhile Ziva regained consciousness. Her head throbbed and clotted blood was caked all over her body which ached in an intolerable pain. She was entangled in some kind of fish net in a black hold of a ship. She couldn't see anything but she smelt the stink of fish and the salty brine of the sea. Suddenly she heard harsh voices in a familiar language. Ziva David cursed: Tony was missing and she was captive by pirates!


	5. The FBI and NCIS

**The FBI and NCIS **

Tony regained consciousness slowly. His head throbbed like it had been hit by a diamond. He was floating in an ever-lasting sea of blue. Where was Ziva? He was sure he had held her tightly? Had he let her go? He couldn't remember. What if Ziva had drowned? She could be dead by now and it was all his fault. He knew he would never forgive himself. Maybe he should just let himself drown? He could die and all his agonies could end. But didn`t Gibbs say he shouldn't give in once. Tony knew he couldn`t commit suicide for what if Ziva was still out there? She could need his help. He was so lost in thoughts that he didn`t hear the boat gliding over to him.

Suddenly an iron grasp gripped his neck. It was pulling him up on to the boat. He tried to resist but his limbs wouldn`t obey him.

"On surveillance investigation at the other end of the planet, how is it possible that I end up fishing NCIS agents from the sea," a shrew, male, yet familiar voice exclaimed.

Tony knew he recognised the voice from somewhere. As he clunked onto the smooth wooden floor of the boat he looked up at the man the voice had came from. He had a ratty face with a tanned pink cover. His chin was short and narrow. His eyes were black and emotionless. Sheep grey hair was neatly combed exposing his bald head to the sun. Was this Gibbs? Perhaps he was? In a way he knew he was safe.

"Hello Gibbs," he whispered faintly.

"What the hell DiNozzo! I`m Fornell!"the man angrily exclaimed.

Fornell who was Fornell, Tony thought. He suddenly remembered he had seen him when they were trying to catch Kate`s killer. That was it! Fornell killed Kate!

"You murderer!"Tony exclaimed in rage.

A strength pulsed through him. He was going to bring the killer of his friend to justice. He grabbed Fornell and tried to push him overboard. Fornell was stronger; he resisted and pinned Tony down on the boat`s floor.

"What the hell DiNozzo!" Fornell exclaimed in shock.

He knew Tony had been missing for a month but he didn`t expect him to be this twisted. Unless he had some form of amnesia; it would certainly exclaim the attack and the fact tony thought he was Gibbs. He turned round and ordered

"Head back to shore! We need to get this man to a hospital!"

The boat`s engine whirred beautifully into life, It steamed through the water like an angel.

"Ziva," Tony whispered in anxiety" Where is Ziva?"

He didn`t know but all he knew was he was being kidnapped by a murderer. The ratty faced kidnapper in the dirt smudged shirt tightly bound his hands to smooth pole-made of ice- with a coarse sea rope. Tony miserably sat on the splintering floorboards.

"Where is Ziva?"he asked angrily.

Fornell stared at Tony. Ziva? She had left NCIS for Mossad months ago! He dismissed Tony`s question as a delirious raving which someone in Tony`s state of mind might make. At least tied to the pole Tony couldn`t hurt himself or anyone else for that matter. Even after a month, Tony was still very strong and capable of bringing another man down. As Fornell walked away he noticed nail holes on Tony`s hands. He recognised the technique and cursed.

"Go to the meeting point instead!"he ordered the boat`s driver.

Fornell knew they couldn`t afford going anywhere near Mossad`s territory...

Ziva gave darting glances round her surroundings: no Tony, a small crack which offered a little light, a few fish nets which reeked of past prisoners and no plausible escape route. She cursed. What had happened after she lost control and the vehicle flew down the hill? What had happened to Tony? She hoped he was safe but knew that this would not be the case. The darkness had begun to frighten her; it was ever so caging. She had no control over what was happening and it scared her. She did not even know who her captors were!

After that it all happened so quickly; bullets ricocheted through the boat. There were angry shouts and screams in many languages she could not make out. Explosions filled the air and the boat lurched violently. She knew there was a battle raging but between whom? Ziva had never been more scared in her life. Suddenly the door creaked open and the hefty shadow of a man walked in. He lowered his gun.

"Ziva?"McGee asked in a puzzled manner...


	6. Ruthless

**Ruthless**

"McGee!"Ziva exclaimed in shock" What are you doing here?"

"Looking for Tony...what are you doing here?"he suddenly queried.

"I was helping Tony escape but at the precise minute I am sitting in a pirate ship tied up." she indignantly replied.

"Ok, I get the point," McGee said as he walked over to untie her.

Ziva looked the same as ever except the miscellaneous collection of bruises and bloodstains. He wondered what had happened to her. He brought his knife out and sliced through the coarse salty rope with one swift smooth slip of the blade`s sharp edge and a bit of sawing on the rope that bound Ziva`s ankle`s tightly. As he was doing this he realised that Ziva had said she had been rescuing Tony, so where was he?

"Where is Tony?"he asked slightly bewildered.

Ziva solemnly stared at McGee. He hadn`t changed much. His hair was still a gelled honey cap; his eyes were hazel and hard with experience. He was taller than she remembered and most certainly more heftily built yet he seemed far more refined.

"I do not know," she began slowly" I was driving away from the Mossad headquarters with Tony in the back of the truck, and the last thing I remember before waking up here is the truck losing control and falling down a cliff."

McGee stared at her wondering whether he was hearing the truth. He decided he should trust Ziva, after all they were friends.

"Boss, you better get down here!" he uneasily exclaimed.

He wondered what Gibbs would make of the situation. Then again they hadn`t heard from Ziva since she left NCIS.

"Have you found Tony," Gibbs queried from the deck above.

Ziva felt safe after hearing his voice. It was so protective, warm as if while he was there nothing bad would happen.

"No, Ziva!" McGee yelled.

"What!"Gibbs exclaimed as he entered the room with footsteps of a stick-insect."Ziva!"

"Hello Gibbs," Ziva greeted slowly.

His grey hair was as smooth as a cat fresh from the bath. His eyes were serious but with a sapphire twinkle. He looked older than she had remembered. What had happened?

"Why are you here?" she asked nervously.

"Joint mission with FBI, we received intelligence that these scumbags of pirates were holding DiNozzo hostage"Gibbs briefly enlightened, before adding in deadly serious tones, "Why are you here?"

"I was helping Tony escape from Mossad, and lost control of the truck I was driving on a ridge. I don`t remember anything else except waking up here," she truthfully replied.

Meanwhile McGee had spotted something amongst the hefty coils of rope. It was a note. Stained by salty water and splots of blood but unmistakably a note.

It read, "Special Agent DiNozzo, I regret to inform you that you`re mortgage payment is changing..."the rest was unreadable.

"Umm Boss, I don`t think Tony was ever here," McGee concluded."What if the pirates thought Ziva was Tony?"

He held up the note to his friends` gasping faces.

"If he isn`t here, where is he?"Gibbs asked in fear of the answer.

Cornelius Fornell stood on the boat`s wooden deck and gazed at the horizon through his binoculars. All he could see was the smooth surface of the sea. All he could fell was the spit of the sea spray and all he heard were the songs of the waves leaping into the sunny sky. In an hour the boat would reach the USS Indigo, an aircraft carrier moored in the Mediterranean. Then they were safe; until then they were in mortal danger.

He heard the rusty bark of the driver "We`ve got company at 1200."

Fornell swerved round with his eyes spilling into the binos. There was a ship ahead and not just any ship. A pirate ship.

"Can we avoid them?"He asked urgently.

Pirates were just as bad as what they were trying to avoid if not even worse. They had no rules and were as ruthless as the rest of the smugglers, and cartels.

"Yes," the boat driver replied uneasily, "but only by heading back into dangerous waters."

Out of the frying pan and into the fire, Fornell thought.

"Take that route with extra care he ordered!"

As the monotonous murmur of the boat`s engine turned round. Fornell gazed at the stretch he had originally looked at. As the boat propelled forwards. All was deathly silent.

Silence doesn`t last long. The screech of a seaplane;-amphibian to be precise- squealed through the air. Fornell noticed a dot on the horizon. He cursed. Mossad or pirates? Both were equally ruthless...


	7. Penultimate

**Penultimate**

He felt drowsy. He wondered where he was, and what had happened to him. He couldn't remember who he was. He thought hard but nothing came. There were cuffs round his hand-: they were rubbing his wrists raw. His eyes traced them to a stout metal pole. Why was he chained to it? He surveyed the surroundings slowly through his blurred vision. There were scratchy wooden boards beneath him, sea and a man standing. He recognised the man; that ratty face seemed so familiar. It flashed back.

The voice was deep and joked, "Agent Axelrod is trailing you to pick you up when the FBI throw you out."

He was in a tight bag; cosy he felt like a bug in a rug. Then it was zipped open allowing the chill of the night to invade the warmth.

The ratty faced man had cursed and muttered something before throwing him and the bag out. He flicked through his memories; who was the ratty faced man? He cursed himself for not knowing. He felt danger but couldn't remember who to trust. Perhaps he worked for the FBI. No! That couldn't be right; he worked for ... C...S… CSI? No he remembered saying that who he worked for was like the CSI if you were dyslexic. NCI?...NCIS? That was it! NCIS, the problem was he had no clue who they were. Which country was he from? More importantly what was a country? A loud drone interrupted his thoughts. Almost on cue he started to babble

"This reminds me of the 1982 classic... "

He had no idea what he was saying or how he knew it. As he was speaking the ratty faced man came over and sighed in relief," DiNozzo I'm glad to see you're back to normal."

"That is not my name!" he protested.

His name was...what was his name? The ratty-faced man seemed to be taken by surprise and began muttering. He could just make out the mumbling

"What do I do, Mossad are in one dire...an...pirates in...other?" Then ratty face man yelled to the mysterious third party," Colin steer us towards the pirates direction but avoid getting to close. "

Pirates, he thought. What were pirates? He remembered this bid pungent smelling monster swallowing ships up like peas. Kraken it was called. Perhaps the Kraken was coming after this pirate ship. If they were heading towards it they were in danger! He had no idea what a Mossad was but surely it was better than being swallowed up by the Kraken.

"The Kraken is going to get us! "he yelled trying to warn the ratty-faced man. "Head for the Mossad! Otherwise we'll be eaten alive!"

What the hell was Tony saying, Fornell thought. Tony had lost his mind! He was trying to escape Mossad and as for the Kraken. He was speechless. He decided not to say anything and focus on trying to evade the ruthless predators that had blocked him in. He saw Mossad's boats were gaining on them at a rapid pace. Fornell was worried more so than when he had been framed for murder more so than what his ex-wife was going to say to him for him taking his daughter on holiday this year for Christmas.

* * *

Gibbs, Ziva and McGee plus the military personnel involved in the raid stood on deck.

"Gibbs, there is a boat heading towards us!" McGee exclaimed.

"And Mossad seems to be chasing it,"Ziva commented on the speed boats racing up behind it.

"Gibbs had been holding the binos. He fell silent.

"What ids the FBI doing out here?" he suddenly asked.

McGee and Ziva looked at each other perplexed.

"Commander Reynold! Make for that boat we've a comrade in trouble!" he ordered.

"Who? "McGee and Ziva simultaneously asked.

"Fornell,"Gibbs grimly replied.

The pirate ship swiftly sliced the sea apart. It creaked in the wind but the motor of the bullet proof wave rider held out. It was a fairly modern boat; defensive. Gibbs knew it could rival Mossad's speedboats without too much bother; it was the air help Mossad had lurking in the clouds that troubled him.

* * *

Fornell faced the pirate ship in horror; it was heading towards his small craft at double the speed that Mossad was doing. He was finished; there was no way his little surveillance boat could outrun them both. Yet there was something queer about his position, why was a pirate ship heading towards his boat but also Mossad. Surely they wanted to avoid the "police" at all costs. Unless it was a plucky band of pirates it didn't make sense. He took out the binos and stared at the people on board. He recognised a face and everything made sense.

"Head directly to the pirate ship, "he ordered with relief.

Then Mossad began dropping explosives...

"This is not good," McGee commented. "We won't reach them in time!"

Gibbs glared at him as if to say we will. All around them the water erupted like a volcano with driftwood and roasted fish smacking into everything. The old ship moaned under the stress of the battle, she hadn't been in any in her long life. Ironic because of her career.

"Fornell is in an awful lot of trouble. Mossad have speedboats, there is no way we'll get to him before they do. If we do, what then? It's not like we can fight them Gibbs?" Ziva remarked anxious for everyone's safety.

"Why is Mossad gunning down Fornell? What has the FBI done to piss Mossad off that they'd risk starting a war? It doesn't make sense!" Gibbs roared over the water's thunderous bangs and fizzes. McGee and Ziva looked at each other. Gibbs was right. What was going on?

* * *

Fornell cursed under his breath repeatedly. They were doomed. Mossad was hot on their heels and the explosions didn't help. The boat lurched violently to one side and Fornell fell to his knees. Suddenly he heard the chatter of machine guns as holes skimmed along the boat. Wonderful, he thought, Mossad was now in firing range. A charge dropped into the water on the other side. Fornell gasped it was far too…KABOOM!

Fornell didn't get a chance to finish his sentence. The boat splintered apart nailing the sea to the sky. He was sent flying into the ocean. He didn't remember though. The blast sent him from the chaotic battle into the world of black where the soul can't communicate with the battle. The onlookers from the ship gasped in horror! Mossad's planes swooped in and did a final shooting/bombing of the area before flying away. The splash rose so high it was as if a mountain was growing as fast as the speed of light. The boats watched the splash fall then satisfied with their work sped away until they were no more than a murmur from beyond the horizon.

* * *

Gibbs mouth was open in horror.

"Hurry up! "he yelled in frustration at the driver, "He might still be alive!"

The exhausted craft sped onwards it was so near but ever so far. The remains of the wrecked craft bobbed in the water. Ziva could see no bodies; only bits of discombobulated and destroyed boat. They were too late…

* * *

Tony meanwhile found himself in a rather perplexing situation. When that fatal charge exploded his head was thrown so violently against the post he fell into the black. Recovering from the state of unconsciousness he wondered why he was in the sea amongst shards of metal and wood. Last night he had curled dup on his sofa after watching a good film. What the hell had happened to him and where were Gibbs, McGee and Ziva? It didn't make any sense at all. He looked up at the sky; the sun was so bright it obscured the lazy ocean of clouds. There was a ship straight out of Pirates of the Caribbean. He shut his eyes and looked away then his subconscious survival mode made him turn back. There was a ship on the horizon! A ship! Was if friend or foe! It looked like something from that 1994 action film…that he couldn't remember the name of but he was sure Stole Martins played Ernst Hunt aka Terrorblade who sailed the Fireworks, his putrid fish perfumed vessel, through the seven seas pillaging coastal cities, murdering and marooning victims, looting ships and his parrot named Grace who could recite all the Shakespeare plays and sonnets of by heart.

Suddenly something bashed into his back. Not painfully but like a ball of scrunched up was in a dream and Gibbs or McGee were waking him up. He swivelled round slowly to see a shoe. It was attached to a man. Fornell! What was he doing out here Tony wondered disappointed at the realisation that this was not a dream. Fornell began to sink so Tony grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Fornell, come for a swim too?"he joked.

There was no reply.

"Fornell?" he repeated with more urgency to his voice.

Still no reply. Fornell was breathing and away with the fairies. Everything seemed rather bizarre to Tony. He tried to remember what had happened. It was as if someone had cut out a section of his memory as they did cheese. The ship drew nearer. It was an impassable obstruction on the horizon coated in rotting bodies and looked like it contained all the evils of the world.

* * *

"I see Fornell boss! "McGee shouted jubilantly. "He has Tony!"

"Where? "Gibbs bellowed.

His face was masked with worry-the same he'd worn when Tony caught the pneumonic plague. McGee pointed to two heads amongst the wreckage unsure whether Gibbs was more concerned for Fornell or Tony. Ziva clasped her hands over her mouth.

"What is wrong, they're alive? "McGee asked.

"Sharks, "Gibbs solemnly said pointing to the stark evil fin storming towards Fornell and Tony its family following greedily behind…


	8. A Fedral Agency Acronym 4

Forenote: To those who do not know, "Jaws" is and action/thriller film about a savage great white shark that starts killing swimmers in a small coastal town. Warning for any who haven't seen "Jaws" and want to this chapter contains spoilers so I advise watching "Jaws" first.

If you didn't figure from last chapter's title this is the final chapter

**A Federal Agency Acronym (4) **

McGee waved frantically on the deck.

"Tony! Tony behind you! "he yelled with all his might.

The winds blew his warning in the other direction.

"Its no use, he can't hear you McGee," Ziva snapped.

She began to bite her nails. Sharks; Tony and Fornell were goners unless….unless…She charged up to the top deck. The dust on the deck fled the ship like rats and the planks of wood groaned under the fast pounds of her feet. The brine stung her face; she ignored it. There was a way to save her colleagues. Colleagues…she hadn't called them…him that in a long time. Had she forgiven him? Where did her loyalties lie? _Forget about it_ she thought _focus on the task ahead_. Once on the top deck and leaning against the wooden barrier she fumbled for her knife and desperation found it in seconds. Then with the small pocket knife, given to her by Gibbs, she sawed the ropes holding the lifeboat frantically. She didn't even pause to wonder why they had a lifeboat on a pirate ship. The ropes creaked and fizzed as the knife chewed them apart as one chews beef. They she realised why there was a lifeboat. She gasped in shock.

"Gibbs," Ziva called uneasily.

Under the navy tarpaulin several thin strands of apple coloured wire peeped out. She could see the flashing red timer below.

* * *

Tony turned round, that piece of wood reminded him of that classic film" Jaws". The driftwood looked exactly like the…it was a! Panic gripped; what should he do. He checked for blood, the red mist pooled around him and Fornell. Not good. What did they do in "Jaws"? Fuel and gunshot. He didn't have any fuel and he didn't have a gunshot. What was a gunshot anyway? He cursed at his absentmindedness it was a gun he needed, a gunshot was when you fired the gun. Fuel+gunshot=explosion. Perhaps if he just made an explosion?

How to create an explosion? What were the chances Fornell had a grenade or explosive device in his pockets? Slim but it was his best shot. He fumbled in the FBI agent's pockets for anything remotely of use: a pistol-too small-, packet of pistachios- obvious reasons-, lighter…An idea began to formulate in his head. Hadn't Abby once said naked flame and pistachios had the same effect as naked flame and _wind_? How to put the plan into action though? It would involve the flame being in contact with the pistachios' packet and in the sharks' mouth without him holding the lighter? He brainstormed but it proved fruitless. All this time the sharks loomed nearer…

* * *

"What Ziva? Gibbs bellowed from the lower deck.

"Explosive device in the lifeboat!" she hastily replied.

He ran up to the railing on the top deck, beside her, and peered down onto the lifeboat. He swore.

"What chance do we have of deactivating it?" he queried.

"I need to see it properly to know Gibbs"

"On the count of three we pick up the tarpaulin, one…two…three! "he ordered.

They lifted the tarpaulin up with great caution and flung it onto the deck. Ziva studied the bomb and then noticed the timer.

0:03…0:02…

They turned and threw themselves further into the deck with leopard reflexes.

0:01…0:00…KABOOM!

* * *

"Steady, steady," Tony murmured as he aimed his shot.

He had thrown paper balls and basketballs accurately at McGee plenty of times before; why should this be any different? _Because these were sharks, he was throwing a packet of pistachios and he only had one shot_ the pessimist within him thought. He drew his arm back being careful not to let go off Fornell (who he held in his other hand) and threw. The shark stopped in surprise as the pistachios hit their target. Obviously an unexpected lunch. Tony opened the lighter, re-steadied his hand and when he saw the amber spark of hope flung it into the shark's mouth and…nothing happened.

The shark closed its mouth in bewilderment and swam nearer eager for its lunch. Had the saliva of the shark doused the flame before it reached the pistachio? Or had he been clasping at straws? Either way he and Fornell were goners. He grabbed Fornell's pistol and when he felt the stench of rotten fish from the shark's breath, he pulled the trigger back and…KABOOM!

* * *

Gibbs expected his back to be in pain from the splinters but there was none. He looked around; the boat was intact. He cautiously stood up and peered into the lifeboat. The bomb hadn't exploded. He was bewildered then he realised the explosives were neither connected to the tangled mass of wires nor the timer. So what _had _caused the noise? He saw Ziva slumped by the cabin with blood trickling down her jet black hair presumably because she hurled herself into a wall. She staggered upwards.

"You okay? "he asked.

She was about to reply when she was interrupted by a joyous yell from McGee,

"Boss, Ziva. Tony's blown up a shark!"

Gibbs pondered this for a moment. How the hell had DiNozzo blown up a shark? He peered in Tony's direction. There was blood everywhere and the other sharks were swimming away in terror. And there were Tony and Fornell completely in shock. The pirate ship drew nearer and nearer to them till Gibbs was near enough to call, "Having a good swim DiNozzo?"

"Why am I out here in the first place anyway Boss?" he yelled back.

"You have amnesia!" Gibbs told him as a cool breeze picked up.

"No, Fornell, "Tony replied a little taken aback, "I don't have an Aunt Teresa, Boss!"

Gibbs sighed before roaring "NO! I SAID YOU HAVE AMNESIA DINOZZO! I KNOW THAT'S FORNELL!"

Tony nodded as Gibbs threw him a rope. He grabbed the coarse end with one arm while Gibbs, Ziva and McGee hauled the sopping agents onto the deck. Tony was full of relief at his rescue as he shivered on board. Gibbs felt Fornell's pulse and breathed a sigh of relief before beckoning two men to take him in to the cabin till he woke up. Tony smiled before looking at Ziva who now wore a white bandage over her glossy black waves. He looked astounded before stating

"I thought you stayed in Israel Ziva."

McGee, Ziva and Gibbs burst into laughter while Tony stared at them in complete oblivion. Gibbs pulled out his phone and said

"Vance, we've got DiNozzo."

* * *

_Meanwhile…_

"Anything interesting happen in this Noah's ark of a sea while I was asleep? "the deep American voice called from below deck with a hint of sarcasm.

"Mossad attacked a speedboat and a pirate ship, blew the speedboat to pieces and after exploding the sharks the pirate ship picked the survivors up and guess who was on the pirate ship…your dear friends from the Navy Yard" his companion replied his voice as mellow as a deep cello.

He was laid back under a canopy on a deck chair. His eyes were firmly glued to a pair of binos amd a newspaper on his lap. He had a scruff of black hair, neatly combed and was wearing a leisurely black top and jeans. The sun hit the canopy and whipped him; he ignored it. The sky was peaceful from the previous banshee of battles five minutes earlier. He wondered how the hell had his partner slept through that.

"Good one Ray, where did that come from?" the American joked.

"Trent, it happened five minutes ago."

The skunk faced Kort (Trent) appeared on deck from the blue stairs descending to the belly of the ship. He wore dark sunglasses and a khaki bucket hat to protect his bald head.

"Ray, please be serious. It's a dull enough already and your jokes don't help,"

Ray stared at him. Trent knew that stare; he cursed.

"What the hell are NCIS doing out here? Sigh…Never mind what were you going to say about that phone call?"

"Barrett has a new lead on Port-to-Port," Ray replied casually before dropping his binoculars and picking up a newspaper.

He opened up to the crossword.

_Across_

A federal agency acronym(4)

He picked up a black pen and on the faded brown paper wrote N-C-I-S into the small boxes.

Then he laughed…


End file.
